Chapter 11

Never again:

Josie sat with her knees drawn up against her chest. She wiped at the dampness on her cheek in irritation. Her chest ached from the suffocating fear of being chained and confined again.

She took a shuddering breath and began to rock back and forth. Dark scorch marks marred the surface of the uneven rock walls. She had been furious when she woke to find herself in a familiar situation. It was exactly the same as her dad had done to her.

Whoever captured her had used something on the chains to insulate them from the heat of her fire—not that she could create much at the moment. Thanks to the amount of energy she had used at the bridge, she could barely roast a marshmallow for Todd if she wanted to. Sniffing again, she lowered her head and rested her forehead on her knees. She hated people.

Her fingers curled when she heard the door unlocking. She slowly lifted her head. The heat of her glare changed to relief when she saw Dust hurrying toward her. Her lips parted lips with a relieved cry and she dropped her feet down to the floor before she stood up.

Without thinking, she threw her chained arms around his neck and held onto him. A strangled sob caught in her throat and she buried her face against his neck. He slid his arms around her and hugged her close.

“Get me out of here,” she demanded in a hoarse voice.

“And I thought you were just happy to see me,” he teased.

A reluctant chuckle shook her body and she leaned back and looked up at him. Fresh tears formed in her eyes when she saw the concern on his face. He lifted a hand and ran it across her cheek.

“What took you so long?” she demanded.

Dust shook his head. “They threatened the others. We need your help. The zombie-bugs are here,” he said in a gentle voice as he released his hold on her.

Josie groaned at his softly spoken statement. “I am so done with those damn things,” she hissed, holding out her arms so he could undo the restraints around her wrists. “I have to warn you, unless I get something with some mega-sugar in it, I’m not going to be much help except to run like a screaming idiot in a Walking Dead episode.”

“He said these would help,” a woman stated.

Josie glared at the woman in the military uniform. “How about I test it on you?” she snapped.

Dust looked up from where he was unlocking the restraints around Josie’s ankles. “She doesn’t mean it,” he told Major Mendoza.

The Major’s lips twitched. “I know,” she replied, placing the cardboard box down on the bench. “Nutrition drinks.”

Josie peered into the box before picking up one of the drinks. She wiggled her nose in distaste and looked down at Dust. Holding out the can of milk, she raised an eyebrow.

“Are you serious? You want me to charge up on Granny Milk? Don’t they have soda, marshmallows, high energy drinks, or bottled iced coffee?” she retorted in a dry tone.

“Drink up, Josie. We may not have much time and the plan I have—well…,” Dust started to say.

Josie didn’t miss the uncomfortable glance at the woman next to them. “What happened?” she asked, pulling the top back on the can and lifting it to her lips.

She listened as Dust and Major Mendoza explained what had happened. She was surprised that the supplemental milk didn’t taste quite as bad as she’d thought it would. By the fourth can, she decided that the chocolate was better than the vanilla or strawberry but all of them carried a kick. She groaned in relief when her powers kicked into high gear. Tossing an empty can onto the floor, she sent a fireball to engulf it.

“Nice,” the Major stated.

“So, we know there are bugs. We know there are at least two bad guys. And we know we are the lucky ones who get to deal with them. What is this fantastic plan of yours?” Josie asked, feeling tons better as she popped the top of her eighth can.

Dust picked up a can and opened it. He drank it down before he looked at her. Josie lowered the can in her hand as a feeling of unease washed through her.

“We use ourselves as bait,” he said.

Josie could actually feel the blood drain from her face. For a moment she hoped she had heard him wrong. She glanced at the woman standing silently next to Dust. Swallowing, Josie nodded to her.

“What is she here for?” Josie asked in a shaky voice.

“I’m here to kill you both if you fail,” Major Mendoza quietly replied.

“Great—just great,” Josie muttered, finishing her drink and reaching for another.

* * *

“I shouldn’t have downed that last one,” Josie moaned as the three of them made their way down the corridor.

“I told you. They pack more of a punch than the marshmallows,” Dust muttered, checking that the next intersection was clear.

He glanced at where Major Mendoza was standing. She didn’t talk much, but she had pulled her sidearm the moment they left the room.

As far as they could tell from the surveillance footage, Tommy had been on three levels. Each area was separated from the next for safety and security reasons. All ventilation systems on each level were independent and utilized a series of super-fine electrified screens designed to keep any insects the size of a gnat or larger from entering. UV lighting had also been installed along the vents. The idea was to prevent any contamination from occurring in the event of a catastrophe.

With that information, they were reasonably confident that this level was the only one they had to worry about. General McCullon had ordered the evacuation of the level, leaving four soldiers to guard the door to the medical unit while Dust and Major Mendoza went to retrieve Josie.

They rounded the corner and froze. The door to the medical unit was open. On the floor outside lay the skeletal remains of the four soldiers.

“God, I hate bugs,” Josie muttered, rubbing her hands on her dark cargo pants.

“Burn them, Josie. I don’t want to risk anything hiding in their clothing,” Dust instructed, looking along the rough walls.

Josie nodded and lifted her hands. With a flick of her fingers, flames danced along the tips. She closed her fingers over her palm, then pulled her arm back and tossed a fireball that grew and divided into fourths. Each ball ignited a corpse. High-pitched squealing could be heard from the hundreds of dark beetles emerging from under the loose clothing.

Dust raised his hands as the image of a clear dome formed in his mind. He heard Major Mendoza’s startled hiss when she realized that he wasn’t just a normal kid. A grim smile curved his lips.

“You lied,” Mendoza said.

Dust shook his head. “No, I didn’t. Just like my dad would say: you gotta ask the right questions,” he replied.

Mendoza raised an eyebrow. “I’ll have to remember that next time,” she dryly retorted.

He slowly lowered his hands and released the small shield he’d place around the bodies to prevent the beetles from escaping Josie’s fireballs. He looked at Mendoza.

“Is your only power knowing if someone is lying or not?” he asked.

Mendoza’s lips pursed. She hesitated before she shook her head. She glanced at Josie before looking at him again.

“No,” she replied.

“What else can you do?” Dust pressed.

She raised an eyebrow at him. “You don’t have the classification to know,” she informed him.

They both jerked when Josie shot a small fireball over the Major’s head. Turning, the Major blanched when she saw the sizzling remains of a bug. She turned and looked at Josie.

“I think our clearance level has just been elevated—unless you’d like to deal with the others on your own,” Josie retorted.

Mendoza’s lips curved into a rueful smile. “Electricity. I can’t emit it very far, but I can release very powerful bursts that can stun a person—or kill a bug. That is how I can tell when someone is lying. There is a spike in your body,” she admitted.

“Does the General know?” Dust asked in a distracted voice.

“Yes,” Mendoza briefly replied.

“Can you use your ability to find Tommy and the guard?” Dust murmured, peering through the open door.

“I’ve never thought of using my ability like that, but I should be able to,” Mendoza replied.

“Go for it. I want to get out of here alive,” Josie said with a shiver.

Mendoza nodded and held her free hand out. Dust watched as the older woman swept her hand back and forth. A frown of concentration creased her brow. Her hand slowed and she pointed down the corridor.

Dust and Josie nodded and motioned for her to go first. They stuck close together, Mendoza in front with Dust slightly behind her on the right and Josie on her left. They didn’t have far to go. They entered a large common area and found the remains of the guard from the medical unit.

“What the…? I thought those things would have wanted more hosts. Why are they killing them?” Josie asked in a trembling voice.

“They are using these bodies to reproduce. They are laying their eggs in them and then feeding on the bodies so they can produce even more,” Mendoza replied in a hard tone.

Dust nodded in agreement. He waited for Josie to toss her fireballs on the skeletal remains. The moment she did, he formed another dome over the remains to keep the bugs from escaping.

As before, the sound of high-pitched squeals rang through the air like nails on a chalkboard. The difference this time was the low hum that was growing—outside of the dome. Dust looked around at the same time as he heard Josie’s gasp and Mendoza’s warning.

“Dust,” Josie muttered, turning so that her back was against his.

He nodded, refusing to release his focus until the bugs in the dome were dead. He turned his head—and wished he hadn’t. Revulsion coursed through him when he saw what Josie and Mendoza were staring at in horror. Tommy was walking toward them, or at least what was left of the man. He was a hollow shell of what he had been before.

“I knew… they would send… you. We… have been waiting,” Tommy replied in a stilted, disjointed voice.

Mendoza raised her sidearm and fired a single shot. Tommy’s head jerked back before righting itself. They watched in horror as the bullet she had fired was pushed out of the center of his forehead. Mendoza fired again and again until all they heard was the clicking of the empty clip. In seconds, she had dropped the used clip and replaced it with a new one.

It was obvious that the gun was useless against the bugs. Dust lifted his hand and touched Mendoza’s sleeve. He glanced around them. From all corners of the room, the floor appeared to be moving in rippling waves. They were trapped. Dust returned his gaze to Tommy.

“What are we going to do?” Josie whispered, pressing closer to him. “God, I hate these things!”

“Are there more of you?” Dust asked.

Tommy’s head tilted. “We are the last. You killed us. Your… body will give us life,” he said.

“Burn him, Josie,” Mendoza ordered.

Dust saw Josie nod and turn toward Tommy. Her hands, bright with flames, lifted. He could hear her uneven breathing. It was one thing to burn bugs, skeletons, or dead bodies; it was another to burn what looked like a living young man.

“Please don’t, Josie,” Tommy pleaded, reaching out to her. “Please! I don’t want to die! I’m scared. Help me.”

“Dust…?” Josie choked out, her voice filled with uncertainty.

“Burn him, Josie,” Mendoza ordered in a sharp tone.

Josie nodded. Dust watched as her fingers curled and glowed brighter. He could see the doubt in her eyes.

“Please… help me, Josie,” Tommy pleaded.

“I… can’t,” Josie said, closing her fists and shaking her head. “I can’t do it, Dust.”

“Burn a path out of here, Josie. You and Mendoza get out,” Dust ordered.

“We’re not leaving you,” Mendoza said, holstering her sidearm and sweeping her hands out in a semi-circle.

“You’re beginning to sound like a broken recording, Dust. You need to find a new song. ‘Get out of here’ is not going to become a classic hit,” Josie muttered in a tense voice.

Dust watched as narrow bands of electricity shot outward from Mendoza’s hands. The beetles that didn’t move fast enough popped and exploded. Tommy angrily hissed before his black eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed.

They watched in horror as beetles and other insects of every size and shape consumed his body. Like a virus, they began to replicate in massive numbers. Dust didn’t have to say anything to Josie, but this time both she and Mendoza lifted their hands. A combination of fire and electricity shot out, consuming the body.

He swallowed when he saw the mass start to grow. The hardened exoskeletons of the beetles protected the other insects as the mass of bugs surrounding the three of them swarmed to the group where Tommy had fallen. He watched in horrified fascination as the creatures began to link together with the others. It reminded him of the way ants locked together during a flood to create a floating island. In this case, the hard shells of the larger beetles were creating a shield against the combined attack of Josie and Mendoza.

“It’s still growing,” Mendoza hissed out, taking a step back.

“Create a shield around yourself and Mendoza, Dust,” Josie instructed.

Dust looked at Josie with concern. “Josie…,” he started to protest.

“Do it,” she softly said.

Dust grabbed the Major by the arm and pulled her back several feet from where Josie was beginning to glow. Focusing, he created a protective dome around himself and Mendoza. Even with the barrier, he could feel the heat radiating from Josie.

“Now, Josie,” Dust called out, hoping the shield he’d created would work.

“What is she…?” Mendoza started to ask before her voice faded in awe. “Holy shit!”

“Yeah. You don’t want to make Josie mad,” Dust replied as Josie’s body was engulfed in the flames.

He didn’t add that he was worried that Josie’s use of excess energy would harm her. Neither of them had ever tried to use their full power.

Sweat beaded on his brow as he felt the heat roll over them. All around the room, he could see plastic begin to melt before catching fire. The metal legs of tables glowed a bright yellow-red before turning to a molten liquid. Even the rock walls took on the color of hot coals in a fire pit. Shimmering waves of dark red, orange, and yellow turned to a pristine blue.

Dust watched as the outer shells of the beetles began to turn colors. A dark blue hue made them appear unnatural. The blue soon turned to black. Even the transparent shield he’d created shimmered and sparkled.

The superheated flash lasted less than a minute but burned as hot as lava. Frustration poured through Dust when he saw Josie waver before collapsing to the floor. He couldn’t release the shield until the walls stopped glowing. All the light fixtures had been destroyed by the heat of Josie’s blast. The only illumination came from the fires still burning and the balls of electricity that Mendoza held in her hand.

“Take this,” she said, pulling a high-powered flashlight from the utility belt at her waist.

“Thank you,” Dust replied.

He took the light, but didn’t switch it on. He could still see enough from the fires to make do at the moment. Hurrying over to Josie, he knelt and gently rolled her over. Her eyelashes fluttered before she slowly lifted them and looked at him with a dazed, exhausted expression.

“Please… tell me I roasted all their asses,” Josie murmured in a barely audible voice.

Dust looked up at the darkened mass. A white powder coating of ash covered it. He looked down and smiled at Josie.

“You toasted them,” he said.

He reached down and slid his arm under her shoulders when she tried to push herself off the floor. It took a minute to get her legs under her. He wished he had a can of the supplement. Anything left in the large common room had either melted or burned to ash.

“I need to make sure that they are all destroyed,” Mendoza said, pulling her sidearm out of the holster and checking it before aiming it at the ash-colored mass.

Dust nodded. Looking around, he couldn’t believe anything could survive the intense heat that Josie had created. Heck, from the glitter on the wall, it looked like there had been enough heat and pressure exerted from the blast that the carbon minerals in the rock walls had turned to diamonds!

He guided Josie toward the corridor that led to the entrance of this level, holding her firmly around the waist. Mendoza fired several shots into the ash-covered mass. White flakes floated in the air where the bullets struck. Nothing moved. She waited several seconds before firing again. Again, the flakes of ash fluttered into the air before floating to the floor.

Mendoza turned with a relieved smile. “I think they melted into a heap,” she said.

Dust was about to respond when he heard a faint cracking. His gaze jerked from Mendoza’s smiling face to the mass. As if watching a dam break apart, the cracks created by the bullets widened. A swarming mass of insects surged toward Mendoza.

He reacted instinctively, thrusting his arm out and pushing against the swarm that was intent on covering Mendoza. Josie’s harsh cry mixed with Mendoza’s as the Major fell back and lifted her arm. The barrier Dust had erected held the bugs less than a quarter of an inch from her. He grunted when he felt the pressure against the barrier increase as more and more insects pressed against it. It didn’t take him long to realize they were trying to find a way around it.

The rock floor and walls had prevented them from going around or under so they were stacking themselves in an attempt to go over. The shield held, but his body trembled from the amount of energy he had already used to keep himself and Mendoza from being turned to ash.

“There is no way to kill them,” Mendoza gritted between her teeth as she moved over next to him and Josie.

“Help Josie,” Dust said.

Mendoza nodded and wrapped her arm around Josie’s waist. “What are we going to do now?” she asked.

“You and Josie are going to get out of here,” Dust muttered, lifting his other hand.

The Major raised an eyebrow. “We need to either flood this level or gas it,” she said.

Dust shook his head. “It won’t work,” he replied, glancing at her.

“If we seal it,” the Major began.

He shook his head again. “They’ve evolved. I… I can sense what they can do,” he admitted.

“How can we kill them?” the Major asked, staring at the almost solid wall of bugs pushing against the shield.

“You can’t kill them, but Dust and I can together,” another voice said from behind them.

“Daciana,” Dust gritted out a greeting.

He resisted the urge to tell the She-Devil to take a hike. He’d known the second the creature had entered the complex. There was a connection between them that he didn’t understand. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the time to debate or analyze it at the moment.

“She-Devil,” Josie growled, trying to pull away from Mendoza and almost falling.

Daciana cast a dismissive glance at Josie before turning her attention to Dust. He wanted to grind his teeth in frustration. Bugs or She-Devil—neither were at the top of his list of enemies he wanted to deal with and he’d definitely never wanted them around at the same time.

“Leave,” Daciana instructed Mendoza and Josie.

Mendoza scowled at Daciana. “I don’t think so. Who are you and how did you get inside?” the Major demanded.

Daciana shrugged. “Your death means nothing to me. I only suggested it because I know the boy cares for the fire girl,” she replied.

Dust looked over his shoulder. “She’s right. Get out now. This is something the two of us must do together,” he said through clenched teeth.

Mendoza looked suspicious, while Josie didn’t bother to hide the hatred in her eyes. Dust suspected that the Major finally conceded only because she could see the strain on his face from expending so much energy. She was aware of the amount it took to create such an unnatural force.

“We’ll be at the lift. Only when I know the level is secure will I punch in the code. If you fail, I’m ordering this level flooded,” she stated.

“Whatever, just leave,” Daciana replied with a disdainful wave of her hand.

“Bitch,” Josie weakly muttered under her breath as Mendoza forced her away.

Daciana shot Josie an amused look. “Yes, I am,” she retorted.

Dust caught Josie lifting her hand and raising her middle finger at Daciana before she and Mendoza disappeared into the dark tunnel. He watched as Daciana placed her hand against the wall and began walking across the opening of the tunnel. He looked over his other shoulder when he noticed that the rock followed her hand movement until the tunnel was sealed off. Only when she was done did she turn and look at him.

“Can you form the shield around us both?” she asked.

“Yes,” Dust replied, unsure of why that would matter.

Daciana stepped closer to him. “Do it,” she ordered.

Dust bent the shield, forming a protective dome around the two of them. The wall of insects fell over the dome, completely covering it and enclosing them in the center. He frowned when he lowered his hands and the shield remained.

“What’s going on? Why are you here?” Dust demanded, turning and facing Daciana.

“I need your help,” Daciana quietly replied, surprising him.